jonathan CROSS: My work is ongoing constantly developing, sometimes slowly focusing on refinement and sometimes quickly during burst of creativity. I am focussing on the ceramic medium because of its transformative properties. Clay starts as a soft and pliable material easily modeled by hand. As it dries it stiffens and becomes open to mark making with carving tools. Then in the kiln it heats up to temperatures just short of a volcano, becoming molten and open to atmospheric changes. As it cools it crystalizes and becomes stone like, capturing the whole process and becoming a solid marker in time and a testament to my creativity.

sP: What or who influenced this project?
jC: Originally a love of cacti and succulents. Now I am primarily concerned with the sculptural aspects of my work.

sP: What were you reading/listening to/watching while developing this project?
jC: Reading Dune by Frank Herbert. Listening to a mix of The Black Keys, Radio Head, Ska and Reggae, and a little classical guitar music to round things out. Watching Star Wars.